Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for generating a virtual engine sound, and more particularly, to an apparatus that generates a virtual engine sound when a vehicle travels at a substantially low speed.
Description of the Related Art
In general, an environmentally-friendly vehicle (e.g., an electric vehicle or the like) may not include an engine or may have periods of time when an engine does not operate. Further, a pedestrian may hear an engine sound of the vehicle, and recognize that the vehicle is traveling in the vicinity of (e.g., near) to the pedestrian.
However, engine sounds that correspond to acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle may not be generated in the environmentally-friendly vehicle. Accordingly, a collision between a pedestrian and the environmentally-friendly vehicle may occur when the vehicle travels at a substantially low speed.
Therefore, to virtually generate an engine sound for the environmentally-friendly vehicle, a speaker may be disposed at a front part of the vehicle. However, the installation of a speaker, an amplifier, and the like may increase cost of the vehicle and decrease fuel efficiency.
Further, the speaker is installed within a front bumper of the vehicle, but an opening part of the bumper is minimally configured within the environmentally-friendly vehicle to improve fuel efficiency and aerodynamic performance, which may cause a decrease in acoustic transfer efficiency of the speaker. In addition, the virtual engine sound varies based on a speed of the vehicle, thus requiring controller, which may cause a further increase in a cost of the vehicle.
The above information disclosed in this section is merely for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.